Prince of Persia hands on - looking good so far

A couple of weeks ago I had my first hands-on with the new Prince of Persia. Now the NDA has lifted I can tell you the good news - this game looks fantastic. I never got on with the original – even by the hardcore standards of the day it was just too frustrating – and only enjoyed parts of the Sands of Time trilogy but this latest version of the franchise looks like being the best yet. Why? Well apart from looking great and playing well it reminded me of the PS2 classic Ico.So like previous Prince games the action involves platforming and sword fighting in a graphically beautiful world. But the key difference with this Prince of Persia and the reason I'm so interested is the inclusion of Elika, his female guardian angel.

So yes, the platforming was satisfying – although the camera was occasionally erratic – and the way each area opens up and fills with collectibles after you've defeated the "boss" reminded me of the stupidly addictive Crackdown orb collection. The combat stuff was fine too, though button mashing felt slightly too effective. But it was the dynamic between the Prince and Elika that really impressed. Leaping around a castle with Elika in tow bought back pleasant memories of Ico. Except this time the girl saves you rather than the other way round, with Elika catching the player if he falls.

The controls worked well too, with a quick mid-air tap of Y (I played the 360 version) allowing her to grab your hand and propel you further through the air. The controls generally have been simplified – wall running simply requires a quick tap of a button – but in the brief go I had it didn't feel like the game had been overly dumbed down.

The promise of a relatively open world – Ben Mattes, the producer, talked up the freedom to go to different areas in the game but stressed PoP wasn't a GTA-style sandbox game – and the dynamic between the two characters has propelled this up towards Fallout 3, Fable 2 and Lich King in my most wanted list. Let's hope it delivers.